


Emerald Ignition

by Evil Angel (bluedragon88), vcordie



Category: Magic: The Gathering (Card Game), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Melissa Shield, BAMF Midoriya Izuku, BAMF Yaoyorozu Momo, Bully Bakugou Katsuki, Magic-User Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku Does Not Have One for All Quirk, Midoriya Izuku Swears, Midoriya Izuku is a Little Shit, Midoriya Izuku is a Nerd, Multi, Overpowered Midoriya Izuku, Planeswalkers (Magic: The Gathering), Polyamory, Post-Gatewatch (Magic: The Gathering), Pre-War of the Spark, Quirkless Midoriya Izuku, Recovery, U.A. is a University (My Hero Academia), Yaoyorozu Momo is a Good Friend, Zendikar (Magic: The Gathering)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:01:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28414311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluedragon88/pseuds/Evil%20Angel, https://archiveofourown.org/users/vcordie/pseuds/vcordie
Summary: One simple, disgusting word has defined Izuku Midoriya's life for as long as he can remember: quirkless.No matter how much he wants to be something more, the world never fails to remind him of his place.But what happens if it turns out that he IS special, in a way beyond that of mere quirks? What happens if Izuku Midoriya, by chance, awakens something not seen by Earth since long before the dawn of quirks?A new age is approaching, and not everything is as it seems.Can you save a planet determined to fight you tooth and nail simply over what you are?Do you even try?
Relationships: Midoriya Izuku/Melissa Shield, Midoriya Izuku/Yaoyorozu Momo, Midoriya Izuku/Yaoyorozu Momo/Melissa Shield
Comments: 46
Kudos: 129





	1. Chapter 1

**December 18th, 2320 - Mustafa, Japan - Midafternoon**

_ “Two gas giants protecting us from asteroids. A planet perfectly placed in the habitable zone of the local star. Planetary composition that not only had all the chemical requirements for amino acids, but an abundance of the important atmospheric gases for carbon based life. So many improbable occurrences, taken together to form an impossible coincidence. It’s almost like magic.” _

  * _Izuku Midor —_



"—iya! Midoriya!" A young man with an unruly mess of forest green hair jumped in his seat as his head shot up from the notebook he'd been writing down his thoughts in. His almost comically wide eyes and reddening cheeks made it clear that his attention had been somewhere else entirely. Despite having been caught unawares, the young man managed to maintain enough of his composure to prepare a shaky response. At least, that was before a sound not unlike firecrackers being set off quickly silenced any response the male had formulated. The effects were instantaneous; with a flinch followed by a fearful glance towards a wild shock of blond hair just a couple of desks away, the boy could feel the growth of the apprehension gripping his insides.

"Stupid fucking Deku, can't even listen right," crowed the blond as he sneered at the nervous wreck of a student that had been called out by the teacher.

"Settle down, Bakugou." The small smile on the teacher's face didn't match a scolding in the slightest, but even so, the foul-mouthed blond said no more. "Very well then; since Midoriya believes himself to be too good for this class, let's move on. Now, winter break is nearly upon us, and with that comes time for you all to decide what the next step is in your lives." Ignoring the little verbal jab from the adult, Midoriya tried to shrink inside his seat while the teacher continued to speak. "Of course, I'm sure you're all aiming for U.A. to be heroes."

A series of cracks alerted the class to Bakugou standing with one foot on his desk, his palms sparking and his face twisted with self-absorbed arrogance. "As  _ if _ any of you pathetic extras could ever make it into U.A. with your shitty, second-rate quirks! The only one that'll make it into U.A. here is me! I'll be the next 'Number One' and surpass All Might, himself! So all of you wannabes just stay outta my way!" 

With an amused chuckle and a placating wave of his hands, the teacher assured, "I have no doubt you'll make it. Your quirk is definitely powerful enough for a top hero." With a glance over to the quietest student in the room, the adult cleared his throat. "Ah, Midoriya, you're planning to apply for U.A. as well, correct?" The wince from the student in question only served to amplify the sneers on the faces of everyone present. As the laughs and jeers broke out, the young man did his best to make himself as small as possible; of all the days to be singled out, they had to make today one of them?

_ "Huh? _ Why the hell would a university like U.A. ever take in a quirkless  _ Deku _ like you?" Bakugou's hand clamped down on his shoulder as it began to smoulder. "They're the best of the best, producing  _ real _ heroes every year; stop fucking dreaming and get out of everyone else's way." By now, the green-haired male could feel the flesh of his shoulder searing and bit his lip to avoid whimpering.

"I-I swear, Kacchan, I'm n-not t-trying to compete w-with you! I-I just thought t-that taking t-the test couldn't hurt…" 

"That's enough, Bakugou. Return to your seat." The voice of the teacher, who'd remained silent  _ far _ longer than he should've, finally broke through the din of the room. With a huff, the blond scoffed and abruptly turned to walk back to his seat, but not tossing a glare over his shoulder at Midoriya. After that, the class continued as if nothing had happened, passing by the few remaining minutes until they were officially dismissed. They didn't have to wait long, and soon the students were flooding out into the halls to enjoy their freedom; Izuku remained behind as he tried to steer clear of the rush.

"Oi,  _ Deku!" _

Izuku froze as a hand snatched away the notebook he'd been writing in before being called out, the culprit setting off explosions against the covers and tossing it out the window.  _ "I'm _ the only one making it into U.A. at this shitty school, got it?" As he frantically nodded, Bakugou began to walk away before he stopped and glanced back. "Hey, Deku, maybe there  _ is _ a way you can be a hero, after all." The teen blinked at him in shock, eyes brightening with hope as he listened with rapt attention. "Take a swan dive off the roof and hope for a quirk in the next life!"

~~~

Izuku learned early on that even in a superpowered society blessed by a variety of seemingly miraculous abilities, some harsh truths prevail; nothing is certain. Where there is prosperity, there must also be adversity. Just because the world gifted the masses with power, they simply assumed that  _ everyone _ received such a boon; in reality, some people were always fated to come up short. While these magnificent blessings known as "quirks" became something commonplace, the absence of such power became something of a defect. As those who possessed no such ability, the quirkless were passed off as "broken" or "flawed" by the rest of the world.

_ 'Stupid Kacchan,'  _ the young man thought to himself as he walked away from Aldera High School with his head low and his spirits shaky.  _ 'What if I had really done it? Then he'd be in serious trouble.' _ Before that train of thought could get any darker, the green-haired teen shook his head and gave his cheeks a couple of firm slaps as he pressed forward. Sure, the day was pretty crappy so far, but that just meant that it was up to him to make the rest of it better! He couldn't afford to let himself get depressed; the  _ last _ thing his mother needed to deal with was her son having a psychological breakdown.  _ 'But how do I go about making the day better? Oh, maybe I should do something for Mom; she'd definitely appreciate it.' _

He smiled at the thought of making his mother's day, and took a fresh breath of air. Sure, at one point he'd felt betrayed by her not telling him he could be a hero, but he'd moved past it over the years. She'd always stuck by his side since then, and he'd be forever grateful to her for that; he loved his mom more than anything, and this could be the chance to show it a little. With his spirits lifting as he made his way home, Izuku couldn’t help but find his resolve again as he thought of heroes. Heroes couldn’t just give up because a situation was bad, or because someone didn't think they could handle it; heroes gave it their all, so he had to do the same!

So wrapped up in his thoughts, he failed to notice the sewer cover rattling as he walked under the overpass on his route. Blissfully unaware of his surroundings, the green-haired young man continued onward; a disgusting, distorted and masculine voice finally brought his advance to a complete stop. Unable to repress the shudder that traveled down his spine as he registered the words spoken, Izuku forced himself to turn around. When he caught sight of the repulsive, mucous-like appearance of the man, (or at least he assumed it was a man) the teen silently pleaded for anyone to show up and help; he'd even settle for Kacchan at this point, honestly! But no one seemed to be nearby, and Izuku wasn't even sure he could call for help if he tried.

"Ahhh, perfect! A medium-sized meat suit for me to snatch!" 

Instantly, the young man felt his blood run cold; he was in  _ very real _ ,  _ very genuine  _ danger here. If he didn't do something, and fast, he'd undoubtedly suffer serious injuries. That was if he was lucky enough to get by without losing his life first; it was clear that whoever this sludge villain might be, he only cared for saving his own skin regardless of the price others would pay for it. But what  _ could _ he do against a villain? He was just quirkless little Deku; he had no chance of fighting off an attacker, let alone of saving someone else.

"I'm gonna need your body, kid, but no hard feelings! You're a real big help to me, at least!" The oily, gleeful voice of the villain seemed to ring in his ears with every despicable word that left his lips. "I promise your death won't be for nothing, though! Man, I mean it, you really are  _ my hero!" _ The final words practically dripped with such smug, self-satisfied arrogance that Izuku would probably have cried had he not been in the process of being swarmed by the villain.

Sludge quickly set to work engulfing his scrawny frame, tendrils of the viscous muck forcing themselves into his nostrils and mouth. Unable to pry himself free, the young adult could only sputter and gag as his airways were cut off and invaded by the villain bent on claiming his life. His lungs screamed for fresh oxygen, his throat and nostrils felt as though they'd been stuffed with lit torches, and every muscle in his rapidly weakening body ached with the strain of fighting a battle he was already doomed to lose. It wasn't much longer before his vision swam, the light of the world fading all too quickly as he reached the end of his willpower.  _ 'Mom,' _ he thought silently, his heart feeling as though it would shred itself into tiny pieces,  _ 'I tried. I'm sorry…' _

~~~

The darkness was almost… comforting. Peaceful, even, though for some reason Izuku felt as though he'd forgotten something very important. What was this place? What was he doing before he ended up here? He remembered walking home before…

_ "Ahhh, perfect! A medium-sized meat suit for me to snatch!" _

Oh, right,  _ that  _ happened.  _ 'Does that mean I'm dead?' _ came the silent, almost disconnected thought as his memory of the event returned. Was he okay with being dead?  _ 'What about Mom? She's still waiting for me to come home. I even wanted to do something nice for her. I can't make her sad like this; I'd be a terrible son if I broke her heart with something like this.' _ He wasn't sure exactly when it started, but he finally realized that he felt almost  _ hot _ . As if a campfire had been lit in the pit of his stomach, Izuku felt a soothing warmth washed over him. As he fought to find a way out of the dark space he'd found himself enveloped within, the teen felt something like a match being struck deep inside himself.

Before he could make sense of what was going on, Izuku felt that same warmth from before suddenly flare up. Without warning, the green-haired boy was overwhelmed by a sensation akin to every atom of his body being set ablaze. The heat was unbearable, as if he was on the verge of bursting from the temperature, but there was nothing he could do now. The young man vaguely registered feeling as though he'd been melted down and squeezed through a small tube, not unlike toothpaste. Then, with a sort of  _ pop _ , the very essence of his being was wracked with the agony of exploding from within; the last thing he remembered was feeling as though he'd been blown apart at the seams before another wave of darkness descended upon him.

~~~

**December 18th, 2320 (Planar Local Time: ???) - ???, Zendikar - Midafternoon**

Hot… Everything felt so hot, as if the world were on fire. That was the first thought that ran through Izuku's mind as his consciousness gradually returned to him.  _ 'Wait a minute, why does the world feel hot? Am I dead? But then why is it hot? Oh no, I didn't anger some god I didn't know about, did I? Mom would be so disappointed if she knew I'd gone to Hell; I don't even follow a religion!' _ His mental panic attack nearly continued as he forced himself to open his eyes, only for it to slam down on him full-force.

What was a  _ freaking  _ **_volcano_ ** doing here?! Where on Earth  _ was _ he? Izuku sure didn't remember any active volcanoes on his daily route, nor did he remember any particular volcanic areas that looked like  _ this _ . There was lava practically surrounding the volcanic mountain range, cutting it off from the hard stone surface that the teen had found himself on when he came to. The volcano itself seemed to glow, almost as if it was  _ radiating _ sheer power; even from a distance, Izuku could tell something was very different about this place.

It was hard for Izuku to put into words the way he felt about wherever this place was. It was as if he was more in touch with the very essence of the land itself; maybe he was still disoriented from whatever the heck happened with the sludge villain, but he genuinely felt as if this area was much different than anything he'd seen or visited before. Frankly, the young man wasn't sure what to make of anything around him, but he didn't receive much time to think about it. While he'd been utterly transfixed by the strange landscape and odd sensations assaulting his senses, Izuku missed the presence that had been steadily approaching. It wasn't until the presence spoke up that he snapped out of his trance-like state, eyes wide and palm over his rapidly palpitating heart.

Unfortunately for Izuku, he had absolutely  _ no _ idea what the person was trying to say. It all sounded like garbled nonsense to his ears and despite how hard he tried, he couldn't make any sense of it whatsoever. Though what he  _ did  _ manage to understand, even beyond the language barrier, was the groan of exasperation as the figure slowly approached him while lazily waving their hand. To his astonishment, the young adult felt something akin to his ears popping before the sounds around him finally cleared up once more. Even more astounding to him was the fact that when the figure (now fully in view) spoke to him again, Izuku could actually understand them without an issue.

"Oi, brat! The hell are you doing? Why are you just laying around and staring at Valakut like it might grow legs?"

Unable to force a response past the muscles of his throat, Izuku just stared dumbly at the new arrival. He could clearly tell they were a female, if their feminine voice and figure were anything to go by, but that was where the normality ended. He figured that she must have some sort of pyrokinetic quirk because her hair was literally on  _ fire, _ along with her palms. A set of goggles rested on the woman's forehead, while chain mail covered her torso; some form of armor plating adorned her arms, chest, waist, and her legs from the knees down. Her hands were covered by gauntlets unlike any he'd seen so far, helping add to the frightening aura of strength that the strange woman emanated.

"Damnit, kid, are you listening to a damn word I've said? Get a grip!" she shouted, her flaming hair only serving to highlight her face in a more intimidating manner. 

"AH! I'M S-SORRY!" cried the panicking teen as he scrambled away from the stranger. "W-w-who are y-you? W-where a-am I? What h-h-happened to m-me?"

The woman groaned in annoyance as the questions flowed from the boy in front of her. "Great, now I have to explain all this shit. Ugh, this is definitely more Jace's thing," she grumbled irritably before jabbing his chest with a finger. "You'd better listen closely kid, 'cause I'm only gonna do this once. The name's Chandra Nalaar, and I'm what's known as a Planeswalker. As for where you are, you're on a plane called Zendikar; more specifically, you're on the island of Beyeen, by the continent of Ondu. That volcano you've been staring at is Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle. You, kid, ignited your spark and became a Planeswalker. That's how you ended up here."

Izuku felt his jaw go slack as he tried to take in the information being dumped on him, eyes wide with shock. "I… what? W-what exactly are t-these 'Planeswalkers' you keep m-mentioning? Is i-it a c-common thing?"

"Brat, you traveled to a different universe. Most beings aren't even aware that the multiverse  _ exists _ , let alone travel to a world beyond their own. No, it's not fucking common. Most creatures aren't even born with a Planeswalker spark, and even fewer manage to ignite it if they  _ do  _ possess one. Where are you from?"

After several moments of hesitation, the green-haired male managed to reply, "E-Earth. I'm f-from Earth."

At this, the woman named Chandra raised an eyebrow at him in clear surprise. "Earth? Really?  _ That _ backwater dump finally produced another Planeswalker? Well I'll be damned. You're the first Planeswalker from Earth in a  _ very  _ long time, runt."

The faintest traces of a frown adorned Izuku's visage as he took in what the fiery woman stated. "E-Earth isn't all t-that bad!" Though the instant he'd blurted the words, his eyes dropped to avoid her gaze. He may not have agreed with her, but he still didn't want to be rude.

Chandra just rolled her eyes and scoffed, not the least bit phased by his outburst. "Last I checked, it's an overpopulated urban shithole lacking in even the  _ barest _ traces of magical education."

"Magic i-isn't real, no m-matter how much s-some of us might w-want it to be."

With an expression that absolutely  _ screamed _ , "Oh really?" Chandra's palm flared up and swirled until an orb of fire floated above it. His initial reaction was not what she expected, though, as he appeared rather unsurprised.

"It could b-be a quirk. I've s-seen plenty of p-pyrokinetic quirks before," the teen countered, noting the brief look of confusion she shot his direction.

"Never heard of it. The hell is a 'quirk?'"

"A q-quirk is a unique s-supernatural ability, such as summoning f-fire or using telekinesis, that e-everyone develops at some p-point in their childhood." Sadness suddenly wormed its way into the boy's features as he corrected himself. "Well,  _ almost _ everyone."

Chandra regarded him with curiosity at the sudden change of attitude. " _ Almost _ everyone?" She recieved no response. "Well, kid, what about you? Do you possess one?" A shake of his head indicated that he did not. "Well, brat, sounds like it's your lucky day then!"

"H-huh?" Izuku's eyes shot wide open as he stared at Chandra with a bewildered expression. "My l-lucky day? W-why?"

A smirk spread across her lips as she elaborated. "As I've already stated, you're a Planeswalker. You have access to abilities that these 'quirks' you talk about couldn't even begin to touch. You can master all the magic you desire until the day you die; you're not limited to one shitty parlor trick like the rest of your plane. You can walk between dimensions and seek out the masters of various crafts to cultivate your knowledge of concepts that your world could never hope to fathom. So stop your sniveling and chin up! I refuse to see a Planeswalker remain so meek and weak of will." Chandra watched as flashes of hope flitted across the boy's face before he promptly pushed it all down. It seemed he was trying not to get those hopes crushed once more. 

Once he'd finally steadied his breath, Izuku fought to keep his stutter at bay. "I s-still don't believe in this whole magic t-thing."

With a sigh of annoyance, the fiery woman stared him down. "You said that quirks are singular powers, right? They aren't multifaceted?" When the teen gave her a nod, Chandra pointed her hand upwards and fired a bolt of lightning into the sky. "Well?"

"I-it  _ could  _ be an e-elemental manipulation quirk," Izuku mumbled, though it seemed as though he was trying to convince himself more than anything. Chandra's only response was to summon a pair of bird-like creatures at her sides; if he had to hazard a guess, the saddles meant that the creatures were actually mounts. They looked like someone had bred an ostrich with some sort of demonic cockatoo, and then magnified it by five. Defeated, Izuku shook his head and murmured, "Magic is real. Magic is real, and I'm about to ride a giant ostrich that looks more like a failed science experiment. What could  _ possibly _ go wrong?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training! New person! And stuff.

**January 1st, 2321 (Planar Local Time: ???) - ???, Zendikar - Midafternoon**

Well, as the universe would seem to have it, his luck was just as bad  _ here _ as it was on Earth. He'd already found something that could, and  _ had _ , gone wrong. The two of them had stopped traveling long enough to stretch their legs and tend to their personal needs. Of course, the first thing to happen to him when Chandra's no longer nearby just  _ had _ to be an attack! The creature looked like a sort of skeletal dog with horns, fire burning within its body like a soul of flames.

Despite it having been about two weeks since he'd first arrived in Zendikar, Izuku had still only learned the basics of wizardry and sorcery from Chandra. He'd learned about cores and soul types, as well as the general inclinations of each color of internal mana. It was still hard to believe at first, but he'd gradually adapted and accepted what the woman had told him. Of course, he had yet to do any real magic; Chandra had told him that there was still a significant amount to learn before worrying about the practical uses. Which was all well and dandy until he'd been attacked without any way to defend himself. 

As he faced down the strange creature, Izuku couldn’t help but wonder what exactly the universe had against him. All he wanted now was to learn from Chandra and then return home to his mother and make her proud of him. Before he could proceed any further with that train of thought, the fiery dog-like creature leapt forward with jaws wide open.  _ 'Please, no! Leave me alone! I don't want to fight!' _ he screamed mentally, certain that his luck had run out. Until he realized that he was still very much, by some miracle,  _ unharmed. _

Instead of becoming demon-dog kibble like he'd expected, Izuku had opened his eyes to find the monstrosity held back by some sort of invisible force. Truthfully, the only reason he knew that something was keeping the beast at bay was that he could  _ feel _ it. Despite the obvious lack of visible evidence, Izuku knew that something was protecting him; maybe it was a sort of "sixth sense" that he'd developed that made him sure of it, or maybe he was just delirious from the rushing adrenaline. It couldn't last forever, though, and soon he felt the force crumble. The beast seemed to take a minute to recover, momentarily dazed by whatever it was that he'd done to protect himself.

That wasn't to say he was composed, though; no, he was absolutely freaking out right about now. He wasn't sure exactly  _ what _ had allowed him to avoid being ripped to shreds from the fiery beast's first attack, but he  _ was _ sure that he had no chance of pulling it off again. Certain that his end was near, Izuku took a shaky breath and tried to think of anything that might help him stall; feeling the residual energy of the invisible barrier, Izuku desperately tried to reform it and somehow  _ succeeded _ . It was all rendered irrelevant, however, when a bolt of lightning struck the creature and blew it to pieces of smoldering stone right before his eyes. His eyes darted around frantically until they landed on the figure of Chandra just a few feet away, frowning at the remains of whatever had attacked him.

After a few moments of watching the smoldering stones to be certain it wouldn't just reassemble or some other horrific trick, Izuku released a deep sigh of relief. Almost instantly, the green-haired teen felt all the energy leave his body to be replaced with fatigue.  _ 'That's right, Chandra said something last week about the effects of using too much mana,'  _ Izuku recalled, the thought a fleeting memory that he couldn't seem to fully grasp. He continued to try and remember, but his addled mind simply wouldn't cooperate as exhaustion rapidly overtook him. The last thing he saw before hitting the ground was Chandra's exasperated expression. 

~~~

_ "All right, brat, listen up; I'm only gonna go through this once. Mana exists all around us, as pervasive as physics.  _ **_Magic_ ** _ exists in the intersection of the mind, body, and soul. Using your body to project your mind onto the world and your soul to provide the fuel to intrude onto it, adjusting reality to suit your perceptions. Nothing without a mind can ever cast true magic, though magical creatures can certainly throw their soul at you with varied results. Got that?" As Chandra spoke, Izuku listened in rapt silence and nodded quickly in response to her question. If he was to learn and master magic, then he'd need absolutely every scrap of knowledge and experience possible. _

_ They'd been traveling for around a week now, ever since Chandra had come across him after his unceremonious arrival at the foot of the volcano Valakut. Truth be told, the trip had been one massive reality-break after another for the boy. However, that had done little to stop him from trying to adapt and absorb as much new information as possible. It made him value Chandra's knowledge even more, especially since she didn't share it particularly often. Izuku just wished he'd had more of his notebooks to write down everything he'd learned. _

_ "Um, a-and how exactly do you c-cast a spell?" he asked, trying to both learn more about the process and show Chandra that he was still listening. _

_ Seemingly satisfied with his attentiveness, Chandra proceeded with her lesson. "The first part of casting a spell is knowing what you want to do; truly understanding what it is you aim to accomplish, and building a mental construct of it. This mental construct  _ **_is_ ** _ the spell, or rather the state of the spell before you've put any mana into it. Placing said construct into the world by filling it with mana is the essence of spellcasting, creating a pocket of temporarily altered reality. However, colors of mana can only alter the world in certain ways unique to each color. While it's technically possible to create mental constructs that are complex and clever enough to allow you to do everything with a single color of mana, it's sure as hell not practical. If the construct is something that's simple to do with red mana, then doing it with green mana instead would prove to be incredibly complex. That, and it would just be a complete waste of energy; it's just easier to use a different color of mana." _

_ Izuku nodded to show that he was still following along. "So e-each color of mana is like a r-river. They each f-flow a certain way, and trying to p-push against that would be t-twice as hard." _

_ Chandra didn't look particularly impressed with his analogy, but she continued nonetheless. "Simply throwing your willpower behind your mana  _ **_will_ ** _ work, and we call that sorcery as opposed to wizardry. I used to do that a lot, and still do on occasion if I'm overly pressed. Sorcery is throwing a tantrum and having the universe give in because it's tired of dealing with your bullshit. It tends to be wild, unpredictable, and you can generally forget about controlling it. You can forget about getting precise and reproducible results as well, for that matter. It's also more magically exhausting than wizardry because you're bullying physics into submission instead of creating a pocket of altered reality. Wizardry, by comparison, is more mentally exhausting." _

_ Almost as though he was afraid of the answer, Izuku asked, "W-what happens if you use up t-too much mana?" _

_ The woman he'd begun to see as a mentor quickly developed a grim expression. "At best? You'll be overcome with exhaustion and have to rest it off. At worst? It'll get you killed." _

~~~

It took Izuku a few moments to remember where he was when he first came to, but he quickly sat up as he recalled his encounter with the fiery dog-like creature. His gaze swiveled around wildly until it landed on the form of Chandra, her eyes glimmering with amusement as she watched him panic. "And the runt is finally awake!" she called out, a smirk apparent on the woman's features. "Get a hold of yourself and sit your ass down! You and I need to have a bit of a  _ chat _ ." An involuntary shudder made its way down the boy's spine at those words; he was beginning to get the sneaking suspicion that he had done something he  _ probably  _ shouldn't have under normal circumstances. Or maybe he was just paranoid; it was hard for him to tell the two apart when dealing with Chandra.

Despite his misgivings, Izuku accepted his fate and made his way over to the fiery woman's side to take a seat. He already knew there'd be no getting out of whatever she had in mind, so he might as well get it over with. "W-what is it y-you wanted to t-talk about?" the green-haired teen stammered out, a sheen of nervous sweat clearly visible upon his brow. For several moments, Chandra made no attempt at a reply. She simply stared at him, her expression now incredibly complex and unreadable.

"Ch-Chandra? Is—"

"Do you even have any clue as to what you did when you were attacked by that Kiln Fiend?" the mage prompted, abruptly cutting off the question Izuku had been preparing to ask.

At first, the suddenness of the question left the student reeling.  _ 'Kiln Fiend? Wait, does she mean that flaming dog-demon thing from earlier? I'm not even sure how I'm still alive! I thought for sure it was gonna turn me into kibble!' _ he thought to himself, slowly coming around to the root of Chandra's question. "H-hold on, what do you m-mean by that? I w-wasn't able to do a-anything; I'm not even s-sure why it didn't k-kill me! I t-thought I was d-dead for sure!"

At that, Chanrda began massaging her temples; she could already sense the headache coming on from their impending conversation. "Brat, you can't  _ seriously _ be telling me that you somehow managed to cast a spell and  _ not _ realize that you were doing it!" With an exasperated groan at the boy's timid and sheepish expression, the woman mentally cursed her luck.  _ 'For someone with that much latent talent, the kid's a damn idiot!' _

Blissfully unaware of his mentor's thoughts, the green-haired pupil tentatively forced out a response. "W-what do you mean I-I cast a s-spell? I m-mean, I thought f-felt something at one p-point, but n-nothing was there!" His eyes were wide and his arms were flailing as he frantically denied her accusation. "B-besides, I don't have any t-training about h-how to cast s-spells!"

"No shit, runt! That's why it's so much more impressive that you managed it at all!" she snapped back, silencing Izuku completely. "Not only did you cast a spell with  _ no _ prior magical training, but you even managed to rebound that very spell without even knowing what the hell it was you were doing." The baffled gaze of the boy in front of her caused Chandra to let loose another sigh. "What is it?"

"R-rebound? W-what exactly  _ is _ that? And what does it have to do with the spell I cast?"

It took her a few moments to find the words she wanted, but soon enough Chandra answered. "A rebound is a sort of 'two for one' type deal. If you cast a spell and pour mana into it, you can occasionally activate it  _ again _ without using up more mana. Honestly, the types of spells that can be reused that way are… rather rare. And you cast one as a kind of uncontrolled  _ sorcery _ . Not to mention, it requires damn near prodigal mana-sensing that  _ you _ seem to have as a natural-born talent. It means that you have a lot of potential there, kid. Just make sure to live up to it."

Izuku had been left speechless. Chandra really thought that  _ he _ had potential? Honestly, he couldn't remember a time when someone,  _ anyone _ , had believed in him that way; even his own mother hadn't truly thought that he could be a hero after they'd been told that he was quirkless. And yet even though he had drawn the short straw when it came to a quirk, he'd somehow received something even better to take its place. It hadn't really sunk in until now, as he finally realized that he'd performed his first bit of magic. Sure, it might’ve been an unrefined sorcery rather than an act of true wizardry, but that didn't dull the sense of pride welling up inside him.

"Right, well, don't let all that go to your head! Get on your feet, we don't have all day!" Chandra declared as she stood, glaring down at the boy.

"D-don't have all day f-for what?"

An almost evil grin spread across the woman's features, causing Izuku to gulp as she simply responded with, "Training."

A singular thought dominated Izuku's mind as he stood there. _'Why do I get the feeling that I'm really not going to like this?'_

~~~

_ 'Maybe I was just being paranoid. This isn't so bad,'  _ Izuku thought silently as he listened to Chandra. She'd just started his training on a process called "binding," which he'd learned was how Planeswalkers gathered large amounts of mana for spells. Considering it was a chance for him to learn, Izuku relished the opportunity and paid close attention. After all, this was stuff he  _ needed _ to know for when he returned to Earth; the only way he could become the best hero possible was by absorbing all the information made available to him. As his mentor continued her explanation, Izuku listened with paper in hand. He could sort this all into its own notebook later.

"The entire idea behind binding is to link your core to another, gaining access to the mana that flows through it in the process." Chandra leveled a stern gaze on him, ensuring that he was still listening closely. "Now, typically a pipsqueak like you would need to spend some time learning and practicing your mana-sensing to avoid overloading your core, but you're a different case. With how powerful your mana-sensing abilities are, I'd say you're well beyond ready to learn at least the basics to binding."

"W-what would happen if s-someone overloaded their core?" Izuku stammered, a little worried about the answer.

"Your best outcome would be that you'd become an eidolon, a spirit made up entirely of mana." A smirk crossed her features as she stared at the worried teen. "Worst case, you'd almost  _ definitely _ explode due to your body being unable to contain the amount of mana inside it."

" _ E-explode?!" _ he cried out, eyes wide with horror.

"Yup. And  _ that _ is why bindings are the fundamental building blocks to magic, and something that every successful mage needs. The purpose is to gain access to mana that your body alone couldn't handle." The fiery woman gestured to their barren, rocky environment as she continued. "Take this region, for example. Just how much mana do you think exists in our immediate surroundings?"

The question took Izuku by surprise, but he gave it some thought nonetheless. The issue was, the more he thought about it, the less certain he became. He'd seen several odd creatures by now, even been attacked by one, but how much mana did they actually possess? The truth was that he really had no answer to the question; there was simply still too much he had yet to learn about the world of magic. Thus, despite his efforts to respond to his mentor's question, he couldn't get any words to come forth.

After several moments of silence, Chandra chose to pick up where she left off. "The truth is, the amount of mana in the area really depends on the ecosystem you're in. A thriving forest will have more mana in a small space than a mountainous area. The entirety of the mountain might provide you the same amount of mana as the forest will, but it would be spread out over a larger expanse of land." Almost as if sensing her pupil's thoughts, the woman quickly continued. "No, that doesn't mean that you should just bind a bunch of forests for mana."

"A-ah! S-sorry!"

"Shut up, we're not done. To put it simply, there are some spells that respond much better to particular types of mana. Having a variety of land types bound means having access to a wider range of spells." Deciding to move things along a bit, Chandra smirked. "But anyway, back to my initial question. You're going to find out how much mana is in the area."

Clearly confused, the curly-haired teen simply asked, "How?"

The smirk morphed into a devious, toothy grin as she answered. "You're going to practice land binding until  _ I  _ decide you're tired."

~~~

Oh, who was he kidding? Training with Chandra  _ had _ to be some sort of violation of basic human rights! Either she planned to kill him with this torture disguised as "training," or she just had a sick sense of entertainment. Maybe both, now that he really thought about it. Either way, Izuku was absolutely questioning everything he'd done in life to wind up in his current predicament. Perhaps the universe just enjoyed seeing him suffer.

The training consisted of binding his core to just enough land to cause his core to fill with more mana than it could normally handle, causing some minor magical overstimulation. Not enough to make him  _ explode, _ mind you, but enough to make every nerve in his body feel as though they were on fire. He'd continue to do this every day until they finally reach their destination. According to his torturer, the constant minor overstimulation wouldn't kill him and would even allow him to exponentially increase the amount of mana his core could naturally handle. The downside to the method was the constant burning pain he found himself in now as he was forced to ride along with Chandra, who still wanted to make some decent progress towards their destination.

_ 'Well, even if the Sludge Villain didn't do me in, Chandra just might!' _

~~~

**January 8th, 2321 (Planar Local Time: ???) - ???, Zendikar - Midafternoon**

After roughly a week of rigorous training on land binding, Izuku's mentor threw another curveball his way. "Hey, kid! Get your ass over here for a minute!" she called, cutting into his focus. With a deep breath, the green-haired boy made his way over to the rock upon which Chandra was seated. Before he could even begin to ask what she wanted to speak with him about, the hot-headed Planeswalker held her hand out to the side. Within moments, lightning arced from the sky and into her palm; instead of it hurting her, Chandra simply took a firm hold of the bolt of lightning and smirked.

"Listen up carefully, brat, 'cause I don't plan on repeating myself. It's about time you learned how to fight back. That means that you'll be learning some spellcasting on top of land binding." She tossed the bolt of lightning at the ground between Izuku's feet, chuckling as he cried out in shock and fear. "And a fair warning, I'm a firm believer in on-the-job training; it shouldn't kill you, but you'd better learn quick if you don't wanna keep getting fried," the woman asserted, wearing a smile more terrifying than anything he'd seen in recent memory. "This is Planeswalkers 101 with Chandra! In other words, welcome to Hell."

~~~

"C'mon, runt! You've gotta  _ focus _ on what you're casting!  _ Feel  _ it! You've got some damn fine mana-sensing abilities, now  _ use  _ them!" Chandra shouted as she tossed yet another bolt of lightning at Izuku, narrowly missing him. This had been going on for about half an hour already, and Izuku was feeling the effects of it. His breaths came in short gasps, his legs felt like Jell-O, and his entire body ached from all the strenuous activity. By some miracle he'd been able to avoid being struck by the bolts his mentor had been throwing, but he knew it was only a matter of time at this rate. He needed to get this down, but  _ how _ ?

He could feel that something inside him reacted every time Chandra cast the lightning bolt; at first he thought it was just fear and adrenaline, but he really wasn't so sure now. In truth, he wasn't really sure how to describe it. It just felt different,  _ deeper _ somehow, almost as though it were something he'd already known and had simply forgotten. Though as he fought to dig deeper and find the answer, white-hot pain wracked every nerve in his body. His muscles spasmed uncontrollably, causing him to collapse and rendering him unable to move.

Yet it was the pain that sharpened his exhausted mind and allowed him to finally grasp what he'd been missing. He could  _ feel _ it, the nature of the mana that coursed throughout the lightning that currently assaulted his body. He even sensed when the spell finally consumed the last traces of the mana imbued within it, forcing it to dissipate. He'd been thinking about it on much too shallow of a level. He'd been focused on the  _ lightning  _ itself, when the spell was actually about the  _ mana  _ within it!

"Done already? Is that really all the drive you have?" his mentor taunted, already preparing another lightning bolt. Her attitude quickly changed when her pupil's hand suddenly rose and summoned its very own bolt, holding it in a white-knuckled grip. Upon seeing the spell, Chandra's smirk grew just a bit wider. "Well look at that. You did it, kid. Told you it wouldn't kill you." The teen wasn't certain of it, but a part of him thought that he'd heard a hint of pride in his mentor's voice.

When she spoke again, there was a level of seriousness that hadn't been present before. "Sometimes, you'll have to fight back. It isn't always enough to protect; the enemy will just wear you down." Chandra leveled him with a stern gaze. "So if you ever get into a situation where it's either you or the other guy, make sure it's the other guy. 'Cause if it's not, I'll come back and kill him. And then I'll kill you. _ Again. _ You got that?" She watched as Izuku nodded. "Good. Now get your ass up, we've got some distance to make up for." Gradually, the boy began pushing himself to his feet as Chandra shouted, "Get a move on!"

_ 'Just another day,'  _ he thought to himself. Though if one looked closely enough, they'd notice the faintest traces of a smile just barely visible on his features.

~~~

**January 15th, 2321 (Planar Local Time: ???) - ???, Zendikar - Evening**

It had been nearly one full month since Izuku first arrived here in Zendikar, and he already felt as though it'd been much longer. He missed his mother, and it hurt him to imagine what she was feeling right now. In truth, Izuku was actually somewhat grateful for all the rigorous (and borderline torturous) training that Chandra put him through on a daily basis. It kept his mind occupied and prevented him from reflecting too much on the things that were no longer there with him.  _ 'On the bright side, at least I don't have to deal with Kacchan,' _ he joked to himself.

Chandra had, as usual, summoned up a pair of those demon ostrich things (he vaguely remembered that she called them "Ondu moas") to ride. According to his mentor, they were on track to reach their destination before nightfall. Of course, he still had no idea what their destination even was, but that only made his curiosity about it that much stronger. Just where was this unknown destination? What about this place was so important that Chandra dragged them across Zendikar for an entire month to reach it?

After a few more minutes of painful riding, Izuku caught a glimpse of something in the distance. It seemed to be a massive building, though he wasn't exactly sure what purpose it served. Or why it seemed to be out in the middle of nowhere, for that matter. When he asked Chandra about it, she simply said that mages preferred to "study without unnecessary distractions."

"W-wait, mages? You m-mean—"

"Yes, brat. It's a library dedicated to magical studies. Why else would I bring you here?" Now that they were within walking distance, she motioned for them to stop and quickly dismounted. "Besides, there's someone who should be here that you'll want to meet." Chandra set a brisk pace, clearly walking with a purpose as they approached the library. When they finally made it inside, Izuku followed his mentor to a corner table; the place was set up so that tables were positioned around the library with shelves to help offer some privacy.

At the table was a white man dressed in aquamarine robes, wearing a hood that casted a shadow over his eyes. Unsure of what to do, Izuku remained silent as he waited for someone to say something. In the end, it was Chandra that broke the silence. With her gaze fixed squarely on the man before them, the fiery woman addressed him. "I figured I'd find you here, Jace."

The man, Jace, seemed to regard them for a minute before responding. "It's only natural. Besides, I was intrigued. I was curious to see just what kind of Planeswalker was born that would cause you of all people to take an interest." His gaze fixated on Izuku, who glimpsed what seemed to be glowing irises beneath Jace's hood. "My name is Jace Beleren. Now, what brings you here, little Planeswalker?"

"I… I w-want to learn m-magic! To be a h-hero!"

A small smirk occupied Jace's lips. "Well, you can be anything if I put my mind to it."

Izuku's face lit up briefly before twisting in confusion. "Um… d-don't you mean i-if  _ I _ put  _ m-my _ mind to it?"

The man simply chuckled. "No."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Sorry for the delay, but vcordie and I hope you enjoyed Chapter 2 of Emerald Ignition! We know you lot have been waiting a while for this, and we appreciate the patience!
> 
> My Reality will be updating next! Hope you stay tuned!
> 
> Have a wonderful day!

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to yet another new fic, courtesy of vcordie and myself! While I will already apologize for the even wonkier update schedule I'm about to find myself subjected to, I hope you all enjoy it enough to forgive me for it.
> 
> Seriously, a big thanks to vcordie for the crazy ideas and world building! When the Idea Tsunami gets going, nothing stops them (well, maybe aside from other new ideas).
> 
> If any of you are interested, I will leave a link to my personal server. You can find writing advice, enjoy bullshitting with others of similar interests, or even just find new company: 
> 
> https://discord.gg/kfwRRXSzxJ
> 
> Neither vcordie nor myself own MHA, MTG, or any of their respective characters. 
> 
> Hope to see you around, and have a wonderful day!


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